Where the Heart Is
by ImmemorialMemory
Summary: Steven Stone and May Maple. A series of inter-related Hoennchampionshipping shots. Chapter 4: Letting go showed courage. Letting go but still being there for her every step of the way... Drew didn't know if he was being heroic or masochistic. A mix of game and anime-verse.
1. Wallace I- Future Gaze

**A/N:** Ohohoho! *flaps out Victorian fan* So, I'm back. Temporarily, since my laptop is still in the ER so I'm writing this in my mom's rickety laptop. My feels for Pokemon and Hoennchampionshipping returned full force after the release of ORAS and reading fanfics. So yay, a StevenxMay fanfic. I hope to get rid of my plot bunnies before I regret not putting them into pen and paper. Or pixels, whatever floats your boat.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of their characters. Just havin' a bit of fun with my feels.

* * *

 **Setting:** Hoenn  
 **Pairing:** Steven/May (Hoennchampionshipping)  
 **Time:** Some years after ORAS  
 **Warnings:** Mentions of wedded bliss

* * *

~Home~

The villa made a pretty sight among the pale jagged cliffs and the occasional splash of water from the waves of the sea. It was large, aesthetically pleasing, and easily the first thing you could see from afar, a lovely background picture especially when the day began to wane and the muted oranges and dark yellows of the sun reflected on the water. It was beautiful. It was relaxing.

 _'It was_ ,' May mused as she dished out finger foods, ' _really too much_.'

The villa was supposed to be a modest summer house but Wallace heard about it and promptly threw all their plans out the window. No, really. He threw it out the window of their Lilycove house, took out a match (since he didn't have a fire Pokemon) and set the papers on fire.

"Honey, this is drab and if it's drab then the people living here will be drab as well!" he tutted. "You have the money, so flaunt it!"

Oh, they were forced to flaunt it alright. The memories on building the villa were all a blur thanks to Wallace's manic preparations and dozens of ' _honey, I'll handle it'_ , but she remembered the way he and Lisia (who he recruited as a partner in crime) bulldozed through the workers, Pokemon helpers, and their protests; all but shoving them to the house registry to get a building permit as they bossed everyone around. The result was a three-floor sprawling villa situated at the edge of a cozy island, perfect for getaways and relaxing day-offs.

Which they were now enjoying.

"I love the terrace. I can see the sea and the curve of the island!" Winona told her, bereft of her goggles and gear for once, letting her hair flow.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." May smiled at her, placing the potato salad at the snacks bar.

The Elite Four and gym leaders just had a hectic week after a flurry of trainers bludgeoned their way through and battled them out one by one. It was what they liked to call the ' _Trainer Peak Season_ ' where young trainers suddenly become hot-blooded enough to challenge gyms in a fiery passion. Exciting for everyone- except the gym leaders, Elite Four, and their Pokemon. Thankfully, not one merited the attention of the Champion but everyone else were tired to the bone. She heard Brawly got so twitchy he smothered fifteen trainers straight in one day just to grab a few hours of sleep.

So after a few weeks of the same tiring routine, the most powerful leaders in Hoenn put their foot down, threw all caution in the window and barricaded themselves in Wales Island where May and her family conveniently had lodging for all of them. She was pretty sure there was a law against them hauling ass and leaving their duties for the heck of it, but then again _they_ were upholding the regional laws and they clearly deserved a break.

"I think there's a cove at the end of it." Winona continued, helping herself to pineapple juice. "There was a dip at the edge of the land."

"Yes, there's a cove. I went exploring with Latias there last year. There's a shallow pool that fills up when the high tide comes in." May said, smoothing her sundress when the wind gently blew it up.

"That sounds lovely!" Winona clapped, eyes shining.

"Sometimes Tentacools and Goldeens get stuck in there. You can go exploring if you want to." May told her then looked around the empty hall. "Where are the others, though?"

"Oh! Out at the garden." Winona said, abandoning her juice and picking up a crystal plate filled with cheese nachos, grabbing May's arm with one hand. "They're having a contest!"

"Contest?" she blinked.

Making their way to the outdoor veranda, the sight that greeted May made her bark out a laugh.

Turns out they really were having a contest. Someone got a hold of a bamboo stick and a steady line of people were slowly going underneath it, swaying to the beach music and a Ludicolo shaking a pair of maracas. Everyone whooped when, in an amazing feat of dexterity, Wattson steadily crossed the lowered stick, making a small triumphant shoulder jiggle as he passed through the middle.

"Ha! These bones aren't ready to retire yet! You young 'uns can do that?"

"Limbo rock, huh?" May mused as Sidney took offense and tried to attempt the same, but his mohawk touched the stick and Flannery called foul.

Winona drifted to the group and left May at the veranda, holding out her plate of nachos as an offering to the winners and darting out of Sidney's hands when he reached for a chip, playfully claiming that he lost. For a while, May closed her eyes, content as she listened to the thrum of music and the soft laughter coming from the strange collection of people she could somewhat call her family.

This was relaxing...

The whisper of lips drifted through the skin of her neck and she swiveled in surprise, only to meet her husband's laughing blue eyes.

"Hello, May love." he murmured, snaking his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck. May's eyes widened at his clothes. Steven was wearing a crisp white shirt, half-opened and showing a bit of smooth pale skin. He had a pair of jeans on as well, which was as rare a sight as a shiny Pokemon. Steven rarely went casual. Now where was her camera-

"Where have you been?" she said as her thoughts were derailed, breath hitching when he bit her skin and soothed his nips with small licks.

"Mmm… called Headquarters." he said, gripping her waist tighter. "The temporary gym leaders are settling in."

"That's… that's good." she said, biting back a whimper when he bit into a rather sensitive part of her neck, clamping her eyes shut when she felt his wicked grin on her skin. "Ste…Steven. There are a whole lot of people down there-"

"Then shall we leave?" he asked lightly, his innocent tone directly opposite to what his hands were attempting, from her waist steadily getting lower-

"Keep it cool, you lovebirds." a voice sang. "Any hotter and you'll turn into a pair of Magmortar~"

Annoyed, Steven stilled his hands and faced his best friend, although he didn't let go of his wife. She was half-thankful for that. Steven had the uncanny ability of flustering her just by close proximity and while she didn't really mind it (erm, most of the time), they currently had company.

May's eyes unwillingly drifted to the other people still at the garden, some of them pointedly looking away, other's wolf-whistling, Winona and Flannery giggling, all of them sporting large grins on their faces. She just thanked Arceus her dad spent his weekend off at her mother's, otherwise he'd find another reason to strangle his son-in-law. Embarrassed, she hit her head in Steven's shoulder.

"It's like you never moved pass the honeymoon stage." Wallace said, eyebrows waggling. "Carry on like that and we'll have another-"

"That's enough, Uncle."

May had never been so glad to see Lisia sauntering towards them, light green hair bobbing in the air. Playful she may be but Lisia always had her back-

"Leave them alone and let them get naughty in private~"

Scratch that. She was the devil.

Groaning, she pried Steven's arms away from her, glad to see she wasn't the only one turning pink. Though he clearly handled it better than she did, with that impressive poker face of his never twitching once even as his ears reddened.

"I'm going to check on her." May said as her breath evened, kissing Steven quickly. Lisia chirped out that she wanted to help and the two left, the green-haired woman clutching May's hand and making lewd quips that Steven could still hear. He half-smiled at May's answering sputters.

"I'm glad to see you still love each other so much." Wallace said, producing a bottle of champagne and two wineglasses out of nowhere. Steven raised a brow but didn't comment. Wallace's miraculous ability to produce alcohol during unexpected times saved a lot of the gym leaders' sanity by turning them into happy, inebriated jumbles of mess.

Speaking of, the crowd at the garden returned to their own conversations now that the impromptu show was over, although that didn't stop them from giving Steven suggestive grins once in a while.

"I mean it, Steven." Wallace said lightly. "I'm especially glad to see you settled in a proper house."

"A _villa_ you and Lisia bullied us into making." Steven rolled his eyes.

"You lived in a dusty stone house for years, Steven." Wallace said. "I wanted to demolish the thing every time I saw it. It was offensive to the eyes."

"It was a classic!"

"From the time of Arceus, I'm sure." Wallace drawled, patting his shoulder. "As much as I accepted your less than stellar choices in infrastructure I couldn't let you make May live in the same conditions. Arceus knows I love Winona, but I'd rather make the house myself, brick by brick, if she wanted us to live in a place like your hovel. "

"It was home." Steven said, stung. Hey, he had to defend his _hovel_ even though it was, well... true.

"No, it was a place for you to stop by and store rocks." he said, swirling his drink and tipping his head towards the second floor. "Home for you was wherever she was."

The silence that greeted him was answer enough.

* * *

May wondered at the tender smile her husband gave her as she walked down the stairs.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, cut short I know. This is a oneshot so far, but believe me when I say I still have a lot of plans to continue this. This fanfic will be a mesh of both the ORAS game and the Pokemon anime so expect some characters and places from the anime appearing in this fic.


	2. Drew I- Champion Blues

**A/N:** Hello y'all. So. I did promise another chapter or two of this story and well, I decided... why not? This whole thing is in one universe, so every chapter is inter-related. This is a mesh of game and anime story. Here, May and Max joined Ash in his journey but May is currently Champion and they have no clue. Drew gets dragged into it and well... just see what happens.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of their characters. Just havin' a bit of fun with my feels.

* * *

 **Setting:** Hoenn, Ever Grande City (anime), Ever Grande Headquarters (game)  
 **Pairing:** Steven/May (Hoennchampionshipping), one-sided Drew/May (Contestshipping)  
 **Time:** Some years after ORAS  
 **Warnings:** Mesh of game and anime

 **Ages:**

 **Drew Hayden:** 15  
 **May Maple:** 15  
 **Brock Slate:** 17  
 **Ash Ketchum:** 13 (yes, I know he's immortal but I let him grow)

* * *

In which Drew realizes that he had lost what he never had in the first place.

* * *

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

"You're _WHAT_?!"

The shout echoed throughout Petalburg Forest, alarming the wild Pokemon dozing in the morning sun. Wurmples crawled away in agitation and Tailows flapped their wings to avoid the commotion, more than a little disgruntled. The yell came from a handsome teenager with vivid green hair, eyes wide and jaw hanging open, a finger pointed at the girl he considered his main rival.

"Champion Sapphire of Hoenn, how do you respond to the message?" Officer Jenny asked in a professional tone, not minding the young lad who looked like he had been slapped silly with a Magikarp.

The girl in question, who was fetching a bright shade of red just a moment ago, gathered her wits and took a deep breath. She nodded, blue eyes suddenly sharp. "Message received and action will be taken. Expect me at Ever Grande Headquarters no less than noon today."

Satisfied, Officer Jenny gave her a quick salute and a short nod to her companions, which included a boy with a Pikachu and a squinty-eyed young man with dark skin who had tried to (unsuccessfully) flirt with her earlier, both of whom looked as flabbergasted as the green-haired fellow who was still staring at the Champion with bulging eyes. The only one who didn't looked affected in any way was the bespectacled little boy, who was radiating an aura of smugness.

Shrugging, she kicked her motor into gear and sped away, her mind still on the Champion she had been ordered to look for. It was a little odd to find her in the thick of the woods instead of being in Ever Grande where she belonged, but then again she wasn't the only Champion who was involved in extra activities besides defending their title and region.

Still…

"Strange company she keeps, isn't that right Lita?"

"Growlithe!"

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

Drew Hayden had a pattern in his life. He would wake up, train his Pokemon, outperform the heck out of everyone in Contests and come out on top. He was perfectly happy with maintaining his routine but sometimes life gives you roadblocks in the form of people who were more than happy to mess your schedule for you.

There was Soledad for one. He didn't mind her that much. She was nice. A good coordinator and an even better competitor who had given him advice after she defeated him that one time. He rarely saw her anymore since she was off doing contests in Unova but he found her rare calls and messages pleasant enough.

And then there was Harley. Who he would gladly avoid for the rest of his life. Someone needed to tell the guy to tone down his creepiness which for some bizarre reason, Soledad found charming. Not to mention his obsession with May was grating on his nerves, especially the way he wanted her to cry or break down by defeating her using dirty tactics.

And yes. There was the girl in question. May Maple. Brown-haired klutz extraordinaire who had almost hit him with a Frisbee the first time they met if he hadn't (rather suavely, might he add) caught it with one hand. He found her short temper amusing, the way she would blow up a fuse whenever he teased her and how she would go around with clumsy naiveté, without a care in the world.

Who he now found out wasn't that naïve at all.

Just ten minutes ago he had just been strolling into the forest with Roselia when he spied the little ragtag group. As they were headed towards the same direction, Drew opted to either follow them from afar until they reach Rustboro or join them if they spotted him, whichever came first. He trailed them for a few moments, the peace and quiet punctured once in a while by excited exclamations coming from that that black-haired boy with a Pikachu. Something about challenging a gym. Well, he was a trainer. He could tone it down a bit but Drew could let it go.

His eyes had drifted towards the rest of the group.

Brock, he was sure that was his name, was nodding at whatever Ash was saying. The little brat who was May's brother was fiddling with a PokeNav, shoving his glasses into his eyes whenever it drooped too low.

The only girl of the group was doing that 'May's Expeditions' of hers, pretending to film and narrate everything that was going on around her, whether it was just an interesting rock at her foot or her Munchlax chomping on berries. It was childish really, although Drew admitted she was quite cute… in an innocent sort of way. She wasn't as annoying as other girls, found Drew infuriating instead of charming, and he could hold decent conversations with her that he enjoyed more than he would ever admit.

But he was nowhere ready to blurt out any of his thoughts to her.

"Drew!" May had finally spotted him and waved with sunny enthusiasm, pretty blue eyes bright.

He flicked his hair. Join them it is.

Before he could saunter over and say two words, the sound of tires screeching came out of nowhere and an Officer Jenny with a Growlithe at the car seat came barreling between him and May.

"Holy shit-!"

"Champion Sapphire of Hoenn, your presence is direly needed at Headquarters." she said without preamble, saluting towards May's direction with one hand and holding out an official-looking folder stamped with the Hoenn League crest at the front.

Drew's mind hit a brick road. The cogs in his brain stopped working as he tried to chew on that piece of information.

 _'Champion who-the-what-now?!'_

To their shock, May just straightened from her casual posture and adapted a grave aura Drew had only ever seen when she was serious about a contest.

"Champion Sapphire reporting. Status?" May said, taking the folder and read it through. Drew numbly saw that her eyes darkened with every word she scanned. Officer Jenny leaned into her as they talked and Drew could see in the corner of his eye that her other two companions had also gone completely still.

The rest of the conversation was drowned out as Drew finally processed that this girl… THIS girl… was the… the…

 _"YOU'RE WHAT?!"_

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

So now here he was, sitting cross-legged with Roselia at the mossy ground, his idle fingers ripping at blades of grass as he waited for answers that he hoped would right his world again.

The source of his problem was currently going through the files Officer Jenny had given her, opting to sit in a rock and poring over her notes, pointedly avoiding the issue. Judging from the expressions made by Ash and Brock they had been clueless about May's shocking status. But of course the smug little brat sitting beside May would know; he was her brother.

"That was a joke, right?" Drew found himself saying.

May's eyes darted to him and he swallowed, suddenly remembering all those times he had belittled her, taunting her with insults whenever she lost a contest to him. She never cried or retaliated, nor did she burst out with emotion just as she tended to do whenever he teased her outside of contests. She would give him one long look, a small smile and a sincere congratulations, making him seem like the largest heel in the face of the earth. She had the same look this time, her blue eyes flashing with an unknown emotion that left him feeling like a fool. He knew he should stop, that he was hurting her with words that she didn't deserve…

But his stupid mouth won't stop blabbing.

"There's no way that you… of all people-"

"She is, you big jerk!" Max, the ever loyal brother, stomped his foot in emphasis. "She's the Champion of Hoenn! The Champion of your region and has been for two years now!"

"Whoa, really?" Ash finally broke out of his shock and grinned excitedly. "That's amazing! I mean, whoa! May, you're the Pokemon Champion!? I can't believe-"

"Two years?" Drew interjected. He knew he should keep his mouth shut but he just couldn't believe this! "What are you doing traveling with a bunch of brats?!"

Said brats looked mightily offended, but with all the shenanigans they get through every week, stumbling into all sorts of trouble that made Drew's head ache just by hearing about them made him wonder why… WHY would she be here of all places? If she was really the- he winced- _Hoenn Champion_ then the middle of a gloomy, muddy forest was definitely NOT one of the places she should be!

"Just a change of scenery." she mumbled, eyes fixed on her papers.

"Scenery?" Drew's voice was reaching a high note of incredulity. "Scenery? Arceus, you command the most powerful faction in the region and you're tagging along in someone's journey!"

Ash looked at May guiltily.

"She doesn't answer to you!" Max retorted, hands on his hips.

"She's the Champion! She's responsible for fifteen thousand people and Arceus-knows how many Pokemon-"

"Enough."

The voice was quiet but carried a bite that made them flinch. Everyone turned to Brock whose face was uncharacteristically serious.

"Now, let's deal with this calmly." He stood up, pointing at each of them. "May, you have some explaining to do. This is a big deal that I think we should've been aware of a long time ago. Ash, I know you've got a lot of questions for her about the League but it can wait until later. Max, your sister can defend herself. And Drew, we're confused as you are but you don't see us flinging accusations around."

All of them winced at the scolding but they nodded. Brock clapped his hands, grim expression turning into a smile.

"Now, who wants some sandwiches?"

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

One round of snacks later, they were finally getting answers. Granted, it was Max doing most of the talking but May added her input here and there.

"So let me get this straight." Ash said as he absently fed Pikachu a bottle of ketchup. "You immediately went on your own journey when you moved here from Johto three years ago at twelve-"

"Eleven and a half." May corrected, nibbling on a potato wedge.

"Right, right. And-"

"Your father _let_ you?" Drew butted in with a raised brow. What little he knew of Norman, the Petalburg Gym Leader, was that not only did he had a horde of fangirls (the man was married but women were insane anyway), he was also a very devoted family man according to his Pokemon bio. With a daughter like May (who stumbled into trouble every other day), he couldn't picture how he let her go on her own.

"Er- not 'letting' me per se… More like having no choice but to let me go on after disappearing for months?" May chuckled weakly.

"You ran away?!"

"Mom made her go." Max chirruped as he picked on a piece of lettuce on his bread. "Dad was out of his wits and only saw her again when she challenged his gym."

"I wrote him letters!"

"A little teenage rebellion, hm?" Brock said, grinning as he unscrewed his water thermos. "But really, eleven and a half? You were very young. It's impressive you managed on your own."

"I had my Mudkip for company." May smiled wistfully. "Ah, I suppose I should stop calling him that since he's already a Swampert."

"I thought you had Blaziken as a starter." Ash said.

"More like a second starter. You know Professor Birch, right? He gave me my Mudkip after I saved him from an angry Poochyena. When I decided to come with you bare-handed, he gave me another starter. But that doesn't mean I love Blaziken any less." she said, brushing her fingers at the pokeball containing the fire Pokemon.

Ash scratched his chin. "Okay. So after that you went on your own and challenged gym after gym, caught more Pokemon-"

"-just like what we do right now-"

"got into trouble with Team Magma-"

"-just like we always ran into Team Rocket-"

" _and_ Team Aqua-"

"-not my fault there were two Team syndicates running around Hoenn!"

" –and ended up being Champion after challenging the League." Ash finished.

"That sums it up, I guess." May said slowly.

Drew's eye twitched. No, it did not sum it up. That left a whole lot of other questions waiting to be answered. What kind of trouble did she go through with Team Magma and Aqua? And why was she here in the first place? And what was she doing, competing in Contests instead of battling out trainers challenging her position? And why was she being summoned back? And-

"Sapphire." Everyone looked at Drew who enunciated his words slowly. "The Hoenn Champion's name is Sapphire."

Not May. That was his first argument. May was May. The Champion Sapphire was elusive and there were no pictures of her but she had a description in the weekly Poke Magazine.

 _'Chestnut brown hair to her waist… sparkling blue eyes brimming with confidence… a heart-stopping smile… sun-kissed skin and moves with an amazing amount of grace. This reporter had the privilege of meeting the lovely Champion Sapphire only once but could safely say that this exquisite yet powerful Champion would someday leave a trail of broken hearts and dreams if you dare challenge her without an ounce of skill. I must say, the admiration the region gives her is well-worth and more-'_

Right. Brown hair. Blue eyes. Right on the dot, along with her heart-stopping smile, but Drew couldn't see where the rest popped up. She might have just looked similar to the Champion. The officer might have just been mistaken—

"Ah, that." May said, a fetching shade of red blooming in her cheeks. "That's my whole name. May Sapphire Maple. At first, I was called Champion May but someone got a hold of the fact that my middle name was Sapphire and it seemed that people liked it better. So now I'm Champion Sapphire."

Drew faltered. Well. Case closed.

"Sure makes it easier for you to go around as you please." Max chortled.

"Sapphire for your eyes, is that right?"

May looked startled at Drew's inquiring gaze but nodded, feeling rather embarrassed at his stare.

"Yes."

He hummed. "Suits you."

The pink blush erupted into a full blown fire-engine red and Drew smirked, flicking his hair and ignoring the exasperated sigh from Roselia. Yep, he still had it.

"Well, quite the busy life you lived before you met us." Brock said, leaning back.

"Probably explains why you can keep up with all the trouble we have with Team Rocket." Ash agreed.

May laughed. "Yup. I'm not at all fazed by the grunts in uniform chanting odd propaganda. Been there, done that."

"That doesn't explain why you're currently _here_." Drew intoned, putting emphasis on the last word. "In Petalburg Forest. With us. Competing in Contests."

 _Being my rival_. He added silently.

"Drew's right." Brock said gently. "I'm not saying this to discourage you from coming with us May, but Champions are the faces of their region. You have a lot of responsibilities and I don't know how you can keep up with that."

"Did you even wonder why she kept on disappearing for days sometimes?" Max said shrewdly, watching their faces morph into surprise.

"That's where you go, isn't it? Do Champion duties?" Ash said excitedly. "Ha! So that's what you've been up to!"

"Fine, fine. I've been caught. Happy?" May threw her hands up. "Yes, I do grown-up stuff every now and then. So I'm not ignoring my duties at all. And Dad and the other Gym Leaders were told not to call me off while I'm away. So that's why even if they recognized me, they didn't say anything."

Ash then began to prod her about battle strategies and the system of Hoenn's League, which she playfully replied was a secret. The atmosphere slowly relaxed, still quite tense after the revelation but comfortable enough that May was talking about her own journey with enthusiasm.

Drew frowned deeply. There were still a lot of holes in her story.

"Champion Sapphire. Defeated the former Champion at age thirteen after a year of being an official trainer." Brock murmured at his side.

"Technically, a year and a half." Drew snorted, remembering May's correction earlier.

"Just a year and a half is an impressive timeframe by itself. Most people spend their lives trying to reach the caliber of even just the Gym Leaders." Brock said. "With no prior experience, to defeat the reigning Champion after such a short time is amazing. If I'm right, she's the second youngest Champion in history after Red. And to defend her title for two years at her age…"

Drew sniffed. "She must have some insanely strong Pokemon."

"Or she's an insanely strong trainer." Brock countered.

Drew promptly ignored him. And the laugh that followed.

Well. He should probably be more deferential and respectful to her now since she was actually her region's Champion but this was _May_. His rival who had bed hair sticking all over her face in the morning and was terrified of Tentacools, and would chase her Skitty around instead of waiting for the Pokemon to come back. He just couldn't come to terms that his clumsy, ditzy rival with the devil-may-care attitude was the elusive Champion Sapphire. The elegant, cool, and strategic young lady who won the heart of Hoenn years ago.

But to him she was just May. He hoped it would be enough.

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

"You want to _what_?"

"Tag along. Come with you. Hitch a ride. Take your pick." Drew drawled. Beside him Ash and Brock nodded determinedly. Hey, their friend was a Champion. They wanted to know what exciting things she was up to. So when she announced that they were to stay at the Rustboro Pokemon Centre while she trekked to wherever she was called by the League, everyone immediately refused.

"Sorry, no spot left." Max answered snidely by his sister's side, yelping when May pinched his ear.

"You're not supposed to come either. Mom told me not to bring you in any Champion-related issue." May said, tapping her sneakers menacingly.

"But I wanna come! You always get to do the cool stuff!"

"And the incredibly boring ones. Want to do my paperwork?" she threatened. "You're not coming, that's final."

Max grumbled but stayed silent as a Chancey pushed him into the guest room of the Pokemon Center.

"Besides, we can't all travel by air in this weather." May murmured when she returned from ferrying her brother, looking through the window of the Pokemon Center.

Dark clouds blanketed the sky and the air felt heavy with humidity. Flashes of lightning appeared. A storm was brewing.

"That's some odd weather patterns. It was just sunny a moment ago." Brock said, listening to the menacing rumble of thunder.

"I suppose this has something to do with your 'Champion-related issue'?" Drew said, waving a hand at the plants and wee Pokemon being buffeted by the strong winds outside the window.

May looked startled. "How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"I remember something about a crisis a few years ago. Something to do with the Champion and strange weather." Drew replied, still irked that he couldn't exactly point out what it was. He never kept up with news.

"Fine, yes. Although again, this is a classified issue. Not a public one. So I can't let you come." Then she paused in frustration. "Although knowing Ash, you guys would probably get roped into this mess anyway. There's no forcing you out is there?"

"Nope." they chorused.

"Fine." she gritted her teeth as Nurse Joy came out with a tray containing a Cherish Ball, a pink charm bracelet with a shiny stone embedded at the middle, and what looked like a bunch of red wristbands.

She took the charm bracelet and Cherish ball carefully, thanking the nurse. She handed them the wristbands, clicking it close around their hands. "Clearance pass. Allows you inside Ever Grande for a limited amount of time. If you ever make it there, be careful. Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Where are you going?" Drew said, snagging her hand.

"Out. I have to go. You can catch up instead by Pokemon or through another ride if you really want to." she replied, shaking him off and darting to the exit.

They barely had time to ran out into the heavy rain and see her throw the Cherish Ball, their eyes widening as the majestic image of the Legendary dragon Pokemon shimmered into view. They haven't even managed to process the white and red form when May shouted out words that shocked them even further.

"Latias, Mega Evolve!"

Their eyes were blinded by a bright white light and after a breathless moment, it dimmed to show the Eon dragon Pokemon formed differently, purple and white colors dominating its features as it gave a trilling cry, nuzzling May's head gently. It dipped its body as May climbed on and once secured they sped forward with blinding speed, rapidly shrinking into a tiny dot in the dark sky.

"Well," Brock glanced at Drew a few moments later. "There's your insanely strong Pokemon."

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

"I am never doing that again." Ash gasped out as the cold wind hit him from where they were teleported. He shielded Pikachu with his jacket. The Kadabra holding him clicked its spoon together and disappeared.

"Funny how you managed to find a Kadabra to teleport us all the way here." Brock shouted over the wind.

"I know people." Drew yelled back, shaking his head to get rid of the water soaking his hair. It took them a few hours (because May was right, no flying Pokemon- except a Legendary dragon who could go Mega and break the sound barrier- could withstand the winds) to find a way to go to Ever Grande but he remembered that his family had a couple of influences here and there.

The storm was full-blown by now, the skies completely gray with crackles of lightning, and they could only watch as the stadium seats were ripped away from the hinges and…

Wait.

"Stadium? We're in a stadium?" Drew spat out as the cold hit his back. He was just thankful they weren't pelted by the rain as they were in the shade.

"That's right, lad. Now what are you three doing in the middle of the storm inside the Ever Grande Stadium, eh?"

They turned to the gruff voice and saw a man wearing a tattered Captain coat, worn pants and black boots, his white beard soaked from the rain. Still, they couldn't help but notice the alertness in his grey eyes, the way he seemed to skip around in excitement around the storm.

"We're here with Champion Sapphire." Ash chattered despite the cold, holding his shivering wrist up.

Drew still found those two words bizarre. Champion. Sapphire.

Trippy. He had to get used to it someday.

The man squinted and his brows lifted. "So you are. What was that lass thinking, bringing three young ones into this mess…"

"That we're stubborn bastards." Drew couldn't help but say as he tried to shake water off his pants. Roselia had retreated to her Pokeball so he had no one to share his displeasure with. Dammit, why did he wake up today? This was like a bad dream.

The old man barked out a laugh, his chest rumbling and (how could he walk around with a bare chest in this cold?!) he clapped them all in the shoulders, almost buckling them to the ground.

"So you are, hm? Well, come inside and have a cuppa. The rest are handling the issue just fine."

They were ushered inside the private suite of the stadium, a luxurious hall that was emptied of people except for one girl at the far end of the sitting room looking engrossed at the computer she was typing away at. It wasn't until Drew spotted her olive-skin and the red flowers at side of her hair that, with dawning horror, he finally realized who he was facing.

Brock's ears perked up at the sight of the pretty female and he was about to spew out flatteries but Drew's words leashed him immediately.

"Elite Four Drake and Phoebe!" the green-haired Coordinator exclaimed, straightening his spine. Arceus, he may be a Coordinator and not a trainer but these were the best masters Hoenn had to offer. Ash and Brock straightened as well, knowing that to meet even one of them outside of battle was rare.

Phoebe looked up, obviously confused, glancing at Drake who pointed at the wristbands May clasped on them. She brightened in understanding and danced out of the room, returning back just as quickly, arms filled with towels and sheets. They took it gratefully.

"May's friends are you?" Phoebe beamed as they dried off. "Wonderful! She rarely brings friends along. Not that she can, poor dear. She tries hard to keep her two lives separate."

"What, two lives?" Drew blinked, sneezing once.

Phoebe's smiled looked pensive. "Oh, yes. She felt such pressure from her role, you know? We do understand. Such a sweet girl becoming the youngest Champion in Hoenn is a great burden. She handles the stress amazingly. So once light season starts she goes around the region doing whatever she wants." she giggled. "Coordinating was Lisia's idea. Never knew May would be so into it. She swore looking pretty and being the center of attention was not her style but she's doing quite well for herself."

She was awfully chatty for an Elite Four.

"Five ribbons already." Drake puffed up in pride, as if he earned May's ribbons himself.

Drew's lips tugged into a smile. Huh. So that's how she started Coordinating? And… Lisia? Wasn't that the name of the Top Contest Idol of Hoenn? He had no idea May knew such people in high places. But then again… He huffed out a laugh. She was the Champion. Elite Four Drake and Phoebe were obviously on close terms with her but her influence clearly spread out everywhere if it stretched to idols and Team syndicates like Aqua and Magma. He did need reminding every now and then… It was just so bizarre to think…

Well, he could at least thank idol Lisia for influencing May into Coordinating. He would've never met her…

Then he mentally smacked himself. It wasn't because of anything special! Not that he wasn't thankful for meeting May, but hey, he would've never gotten a decent rival if Lisia didn't coax her out of it.

"Anyway, introductions!" Phoebe said happily as she handed out mugs of hot Moomoo chocolate milk. "We're not going anywhere in this weather so we might as well get to know each other."

Thunder rumbled in emphasis.

"You probably know me." Drake grunted when Phoebe poked him to go first. "Elite Four Drake. Dragon specialist. That is all."

"Boo, Drake. Such a grump." Phoebe pouted then smiled at them. "Phoebe of the Elite Four! I specialize in Ghost type Pokemon. I come from Mt. Pyre but I spend my days at Headquarters now."

"I'm Ash Ketchum and this is Pikachu." Ash went first, Pikachu chirping his agreement. "I'm a trainer from Kanto."

"Kanto, hm? Challenging Hoenn are you?" Drake said in interest. "How many badges are you on?"

"On my way to get my fourth."

"Flannery's, eh? Congrats, kid. Buck up on water types, that'll help you." the Dragon specialist said. Phoebe turned to the other two curiously.

"I'm Brock Slate." Brock smiled. "Pokemon breeder."

"Drew Hayden. Coordinator."

Drake's brow lifted. "Slate. The Gym Leader of Pewter in Kanto? Long way from home."

"Travelling right now. My father's handling the Gym."

"I see."

"And Drew Hayden. The Coordinator making sweeps in Contests." Phoebe said, smiling at his direction.

"How did you know?" Drew said, slightly startled.

"Lisia makes a point to keep an eye out for Coordinators with potential." Phoebe said. "And _we_ make a point of keeping an eye out for our Champion."

On one hand, he felt flattered that Hoenn's top idol knew him by face and name. That just shows how good he was. On the other hand… was it alright to feel disturbed that the Elite Four kept such sharp tabs on May that they even knew who she met with all the time? And there was that niggling feeling on the back of his head again. About why…

"How come she never told us?" he said under his breath. It was a big deal, and he just couldn't imagine how they could know each other for months without him getting an inkling of who May really was in their world. Was it a game to her? All those times he taunted her, on how clumsy she was, how inexperienced… When she had in her grasp what were probably the most graceful and powerful Pokemon… Was she actually mocking him in silence?

His hands gripped the leather lining painfully. The ache in his chest tightened.

"That's something you should ask her." Phoebe answered. She seemed unsurprised that they didn't know. "You're wondering why she never told you of her status as Champion? She's not the first to keep a secret like that."

"Oh, heavens no. We had so much fun when dear May challenged _him_." Drake guffawed. "The look on both their faces-"

"Anyway, her reason might just surprise you." Phoebe said. "We're not in the liberty of talking about her feelings, but she thinks of you as friends so there might be a good reason for it."

This settled Drew's mind a bit. Yes, there was probably a good reason for it. The May he knew would never do something as malicious as to keep her status as a secret only to throw it back at his face. She was the most innocent, good-natured person he knew, which was probably why Harley could do his schemes without her getting a clue. She was that nice. His shoulders relaxed.

"What's light season?" Ash inquired. "You said earlier that May can go around because of it?"

Phoebe blinked. "Hm? Oh. Light season. It's the months when the Conference is ongoing. Few trainers try to come in Ever Grande Headquarters to challenge us; too busy with battling Gyms instead."

"It's closed right now, anyway. Emergency." Drake grunted.

"Wait, what? This isn't the Headquarters? So where are we?" Drew said. Kadabra was instructed to bring them to Ever Grande, specifically where the Champion was, but this was no Headquarters. This was a stadium. His knowledge on battling was scarce but Ever Grande Headquarters was the place to challenge the Elite Four and the Champion of Hoenn, right? So what was two of them doing in a stadium?

"We're at Ever Grande City. We might not be getting challengers right now but we're in charge of the Conference." Phoebe nodded, then her eyes shone in understanding. "Oh, you don't know the difference? Ever Grande City is where the Ever Grande Conference is held yearly. The official Hoenn League on the other hand is stationed at the Headquarters. _We_ are stationed at the Headquarters. That's where dear May is right now."

"Uh…"

Drake, who was leaning on a large red sofa, laughed and pointed at a map of Hoenn plastered on the wall. "See it like this. You're here to compete in the Ever Grande Conference, yes?" At Ash's nod he continued and pointed at a large portion of Hoenn. "So. That's where we are right now. At Ever Grande City Stadium where it'll be held. After getting eight gym badges, trainers compete against trainers for a week until a Conference winner is declared. The winner gets a buck load of prizes and a chance to challenge the Elite Four and the Champion. The Conference is held every year."

He then pointed at a smaller bit of land father away from Hoenn. "Now, the Ever Grande Headquarters are stationed a few waters away from the mainland. There, you'll find us, the Elite Four and the Champion. If you manage to get eight badges, you can challenge us every day so as long as your badges are still valid."

"That's why it's called light season." Brock said in understanding. "Because everyone's interested in the Conference that no one bothers to go to Headquarters to challenge you directly."

"Yep. That's right. Sort of a mini-vacation for all of us." Drake cricked his shoulder.

"Wouldn't it be easier to challenge the Headquarters directly?" Drew asked. The Conference sounded a bit pointless.

Phoebe laughed. "A Coordinator would never dream of facing a Top Coordinator without practicing moves. Just like a Breeder wouldn't want to have a perfect Pokemon without knowing how it arrived in that state." She beamed. "It's much more fun and challenging to face as many trainers as you can. Sharpen your skills before facing the best instead of doing the quick route and failing just as quickly."

"So we're in the city proper, then." Drew mused. "Why didn't we end up in the Headquarters? That's where we told Kadabra to take us."

Drake looked amused. "Boy, there's no point in the Headquarters if you can just teleport inside. That's cheating. There are obstacles to get through. Swim, dive, fly, smash rocks, and get lost inside a cave. A trainer's psychic pokemon won't be able to get through."

"So we were brought here instead." Drew grumbled. Just great. So May wasn't here, what was the point?

"That's right. Ever Grande immediately translates to the City itself for any teleporters. No looping to the Headquarters, no sir. One of the most heavily guarded places in Hoenn."

A loud ring interrupted and Phoebe pulled out a purple PokeNav out, eyes widening in surprise after seeing the caller on screen. She excused herself, their curious eyes following her as she answered it a few feet away, the whispered conversation too inaudible for them to catch. They could hear the surprise in her tone though, and when she returned she had a thoughtful look on her face.

"Drake, Brandon said the Frontier has been alerted. They're on their way there."

Drake cursed. "Great. This is League business. They shouldn't poke their heads into this mess. Where were they a few years ago?"

"Having no clue?" Phoebe said, cocking her head to the side. "We should be happy Devon chose the League and Frontier to test out their latest communication line of products. We can reach each other easily now. Last time this happened it was too late for the Frontier, no—even the Elite Four to help."

"I still say the Frontier have no say in this." Drake crossed his arms. "The League can handle it."

"We're an entire region." Phoebe said gently. "We may have differences but in times like these we band together."

Drew watched the two Elite bicker, exchanging glances with Brock. They knew what they were talking about. The Battle Frontier, which was the opposite of the Pokemon League in terms of conception. It operated almost the same way as the League, only they were all located at one place instead of being scattered all over the Hoenn region like the Gyms.

The public was still torn about it. For one, the Frontier wasn't officially recognized unlike the League. The League had a long recorded history while the Frontier was barely new. The Frontier had no say in terms of watching over Hoenn legally while the League had political power and controlled a portion of Hoenn's economy, security, and safety. That was why some people seem to think that those from the Battle Frontier were rude upstarts who were disrespecting the system of not only Hoenn, but the entire Pokemon world where the League has been traditionally recognized for decades.

Personally, Drew saw no harm in the Frontier. He also agreed with Phoebe, that setting aside differences at a time like this was important. And there were more important matters to tend to other than soothing the bruised pride of a minority of people. Like knowing—

"What exactly is _happening_ here?" Drew's voice rang out, interrupting Drake and Phoebe. "I'm sorry, but we've been kept in the dark for a while now! This morning, we ran into Officer Jenny, watched May pull out a damn Mega-evolved Latias and goes who-knows-where, we met two of the most powerful Masters in Hoenn and the weather is going haywire!" he took a deep breath. "And it's not even lunchtime!"

Everyone stared at Drew, who looked away in embarrassment.

"Thought we ought to know." he muttered.

Phoebe covered her mouth as she laughed. "No, no. You're right. You have a right to know some things." she directed a stern gaze at her colleague. "And Drake, there's really nothing wrong with the Frontier helping. May conquered them a while ago—"

"—she _what_?"

"—so they respect her skills. They get along well with her. I know Lucy and Tucker adore her."

"Fine." Drake said flatly. "Let 'em meddle."

"Okay. So here's the deal." Phoebe said. "We're technically not allowed to say anything regarding the incidents that's been going on this morning, but nothing's stopping you from going there to figure out on your own."

"Going where, exactly?"

"Are you out of your mind, Phoebe?" Drake said incredulously.

"We're cleared. There's no harm in bringing them." Phoebe shrugged. "We have a dozen of our best officials waiting on standby just in case something happens but so far nothing. Heck, the gym leaders are there. And they've got the Champion's clearance. They can go."

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

The weather changed for the better. Thick black clouds were still looming above but it wasn't rainy nor very windy anymore. They marched out of the stadium, Phoebe handing them coats and waved at them to be careful. She couldn't come; either she or Drake should stay to keep watch on the city but she more than cheerfully told them that they could visit any time. Drake whistled at the damage the storm caused to the stadium.

"Might need a few of our crew to fix that up." He grunted. "Well, Phoebe gave the signal so I guess you three are in the clear."

"Clear for what exactly?" Brock asked.

Drake's eyes twinkled mischievously. "You're gonna see something interesting."

* * *

 **A/N:** And cut. It was getting too long, but I'll be uploading the next chapter a few days from now. It's mostly GEN, as you can see, as it's explains how May came to be Champion and shit. Hoo... Well, I hope you understood all of that and ta, for now!


	3. Drew II- More Clues

**A/N:** So let it be known that I'm not a big fat liar. Next chapter here! Almost same length, and I'm quite convinced this is a trifecta, so look out for the next (and hopefully last) chapter in a few more days. I'm going to be updating MOM soon, and it's a new story so I want to get Drew's POV outta the way.

* * *

 **Setting:** Hoenn, Ever Grande City (anime), Ever Grande Headquarters (game)  
 **Pairing:** Steven/May (Hoennchampionshipping), one-sided Drew/May (Contestshipping)  
 **Time:** Some years after ORAS  
 **Warnings:** Mesh of game and anime

 **Ages:**

 **Drew Hayden:** 15  
 **May Maple:** 15  
 **Brock Slate:** 17  
 **Ash Ketchum:** 13 (yes, I know he's immortal but I let him grow)

* * *

More revelations and surprises.

* * *

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

Interesting was an understatement.

They were hoisted up into Drake's Flygon and Altaria, who flew them above the skies and waters of Hoenn. They all shivered at the cold, except for Drake who looked like he was having the time of his life.

At first, there wasn't anything remotely interesting to see but waves down below and fat clouds right above, but Pikachu pinched Ash's cheeks and gestured towards the front excitedly. Squinting, they tried to decipher the tiny hills in front of their vision. A moment later, they realized that those two 'hills' were actually moving. Slowly, but yes, they were moving.

"What the hell?!"

The glossy dark blue color of the one entrenched in the waters spanned for a few meters, giving way to the white and red marks it had in its giant fins. The seawater was agitated as it moved around, twisting and turning slowly, eyes on the other giant being who was a menacing dark red, emitting a heat that Drew and the others could feel from above. Proud black lines were traced all over its giant body and it gave a low rumble, the ground quaking from its movements.

"Holy Arceus! It that-"

"Yes it is. Groudon and Kyogre in all their glory." Drake barked out, laughing. "Well, nice to know they're making nice. Last time they almost flipped the region upside down."

Drew's eye twitched at his blasé tone.

They could see everything clearer now. The gargantuan shapes of the Legendaries of Land and Seas; of Groudon's black and red form crouched in a mass of land, growling lowly at the shape of a rumbling Kyogre half-submerged in the saltwater, waves and rocks crashing in a petulant manner.

They were moving oddly.

Kyogre would swim nearer and Groudon would growl out what sounded like a warning. Kyogre would then move away and Groudon would attempt to advance a bit, only for Kyogre to swim more agitatedly, prompting the dark red Legendary to step back.

"It's like they want to fight but can't." Ash muttered, holding onto his cap.

"Felt that too, huh? For a bunch of ancients they sure are a bunch of squabbling children." Drake said, grinning. "But you didn't hear that from me."

There was a piece of shallow land a few meters away from the huge Legendaries. There were a few people standing in alert, darting glances at the two titanic Pokemon, some of them in uniforms of blue and red. They also saw a large anchored ship with a blue insignia nearby, along with an airplane with a red crest.

"Oh, the pain in the necks are here." Drake groaned, landing at the plateau with a crunch of stone and rubble. "Archie and Maxie, what a surprise."

"Drake. For once we had nothing to do with this." The gruff one in the blue pirate get-up said, eyes narrowed.

"I hate to agree with him but it's true." The one in the red one said, as if it pained him to admit it.

"Team Aqua and Magma fighting for the same side, now we've seen everything." Brock muttered. Ash and Drew started at him in surprise. "Gym Leader here. I at least know Team syndicates when I see them. Archie of Aqua and Maxie of Magma."

"These are the people May ran into trouble a few years ago?" Ash whispered back.

Drew nodded, noting with dry amusement at how the two leaders seem to be acting the same way as the Legendaries at the background. "Most likely. Although they seem to be on… not exactly good terms but…"

"Behaving better than Team Rocket." Brock finished.

"Oh, definitely." Ash snorted.

"Well, unless we manage to get Big Bad Red and Blue to sleep we'll be spending a lot of money for daycare." A flamboyant voice commented. It came from a handsome young man with light green hair and mischievous eyes with a Milotic by his side, his smirk promising nothing but trouble. His clothes were… showing some skin, to put it mildly.

The other uniformed people looked indignant.

"Lord Groudon might here you!"

"To speak like that in front of Kyogre!"

"Unforgivable!"

"An insult!"

"Bunch of suck-ups." the young man muttered. "I thought May already told you about talking to your minions about mindless worship."

"It's taking some work." Archie said in a bored tone.

"Same."

"Drake, what are these young men doing here?" A lady with platinum-blonde hair commented and Drew realized with a thrill that she was Glacia, the Ice Mistress of the Elite Four. They were in front of the rest of the Elite Four. And probably most of the key figures of Hoenn. He could definitely see some Gym Leaders here.

"Ah, some of May's friends. Gave them the pass and everything."

The green-haired man's eyes brightened. "Oh, you must be Ash and Brock! And the green hair… Drew is it?"

"Yes?" he said warily. Right. He forgot. They kept keen tabs on May.

"Don't mind Wallace, he scares everyone with his enthusiasm."

Drew's eyes widened when he realized that Wallace… Wallace Mikuri was the name of the man who held the much-coveted title of Contest Master of Hoenn. He was also the founder of the Wallace Cup. Known for his dazzling Water pokemon performances and the grace and beauty of his Pokemon…

Shit. Damn it all. He was in the presence of not only the most successful and admired Coordinator of the nation but one who held the image of the perfect Contest coordinator, the one person every Coordinator aspired to be.

Wallace, having no idea that he had a hyperventilating fan beside him, pouted at Glacia. "Just wanted to know some of May's friends."

"You practically stalk her through your niece." Glacia's tone was amused.

"Lisia doesn't mind, and May loves my calls!"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"You sound patronizing!"

"I do not."

"Anyway, you three seem to recognize Glacia." Wallace told them then gestured to a red-haired man who grinned. "Sidney of the Elite Four, and the other Gym Leaders are here. And some of the Frontier Brains—"

After a few rounds of introductions they seemed to be oddly settled, murmuring in groups and nodding once in a while. Wallace decided to keep them company, talking to Ash and Brock about proper handling of Water Pokemon. He also included Drew in the conversation, complimenting the few contests he saw Drew compete in (and wasn't that faint-inducing), giving him hints and advice.

Drew still couldn't believe he woke up this morning to have most of Hoenn's power loitering in a muddy patch of land, watching over two sulky Legendary Pokemon. He didn't know if he should be star struck or disturbed.

"So… so why are Groudon and Kyogre… erm…" Ash gestured wildly at the Legendaries who didn't even spare him a glance as they continued staring at each other moodily with grunts and growls in between.

"Awake? Bah, if we knew." Archie grumbled a few feet away from them. "The orbs are right in place but we sensed 'em awakening this mornin'-"

"So we had to track them down and see the cause of their commotion." Maxie finished. "No oddities, seems that they woke up by themselves. They were about to start their fight-"

"-more like Armageddon-"

"-thankfully Miss May had the sense to go directly to the source of trouble instead of through Champion Headquarters. They stopped their titanic brawl and they were reduced to this. Glaring and such."

"Wait, May got here earlier?" Ash gaped.

"That's right. Reckless, if you ask me. But brave of her." Ash realized it was Wattson who spoke, having received a badge from him already.

"Just don't let Norman know. He's already jumpy about his little girl." Frontier Brain Noland barked out a laugh.

"I don't think Norman can get any more paranoid about his daughter. Sooner or later he'll lock her down and throw away the key." Winona smiled.

"But she'll find a way to break out. She's that hard-headed."

There was a general assent of murmurs and the three boys glanced at each other, surprised at how they all knew May's temperament enough to presume that of her. Not that they were wrong, in fact.

"Is that her?" Wallace piped up and everyone stared at the dot in the sky, watching as it got bigger and bigger.

It wasn't May, the build of the person riding the Pokemon was too tall, too broad, but the way the Gym Leaders and Elite Four suddenly sported sly smiles before smothering it from their faces made them realize there was something else going on.

"Steven. How nice of him to drop by." Wallace drawled. Drew could practically hear the delight pouring from every syllable.

* * *

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

It was a Mega Latios so it was reasonable they mistook it for May, but the person that dropped off the Pokemon was anything but her.

The young man's expression was calm and held a genial smile. He had steel grey eyes and light blue hair tinged with silver, was wearing a crisp black suit with a red ascot, a number of rings decorating his fingers. He dusted the wrinkles off his attire and tried to tame his hair which was buffeted by the wind.

His face was one Drew recognized for all the years he grew up in Hoenn.

Steven. Steven Stone. The talk of the region, the most eligible bachelor of Hoenn. Rich, handsome, gentlemanly, a genius, and an insanely powerful trainer who held a team of rare Pokemon hailing from different regions. Sole son and heir of the President of Devon Corp., Hoenn's largest conglomerate. The elite of the elite, one of the most desired yet most elusive young men of the world.

Drew inwardly snorted. ' _Thank you mother, for all those mind-numbingly boring times when you droned about Steven Stone. I have his descriptions seared in my brain_. _Unwillingly_.'

The Devon heir responded to everyone's greeting with a small nod and a smile, before turning to the Sootopolis Gym Leader. The others casually returned to their own conversations, although Drew could see them secretly listening in.

Wallace enveloped Steven in a bear hug, and Drew snorted at the resignation he could see as he gave in to the green-haired man's cuddles.

"Wallace. Where is May?" were the first words he said, and Drew immediately found himself disliking the man, from his tips of his flyaway blue hair down to his polished black shoes. He was looking at the Contest Master expectantly, as if he would produce the brunette out of thin air for him.

"Oh-ho. No 'hi, how are you Wallace?' or 'Hope you're doing well'? You've been in Sinnoh for the past year. A greeting would be nice." Wallace grinned wickedly.

Steven didn't falter, his smile still polite. "How are you Wallace? Where is May?"

"Oh, I don't know." Wallace sang out. "I certainly have no idea what she'd been up to-"

 _Liar._

"-but you seem to be oddly interested after refusing to hear about her for a year."

Drew frowned when Steven flinched, his grey eyes flashing in what seemed like regret, before composing himself with a grimace.

"I was busy. Researching Mega Evolution takes much of my time." His voice was still pleasant, but he could hear an undertone of emotion in it.

"I'm sure."

There was that sarcastic drawl again. Drew really needed to know how to perfect it. It seemed to jab the pretty boy heir right in the chest.

"Is that her?" an Aqua grunt called out. "Yeah, I think it is! It's… oh."

Everyone swiveled to look above, confused at the tone the grunt adapted. A second later, they understood.

Everyone paled.

The long, twisting green form of a majestic Rayquaza was flying towards them, emitting a shrill sound that stilled Groudon and Kyogre, making the rest of them freeze. Flying beside the Legendary Sky High Pokemon was—

"May!"

The relief Drew felt at the sight of her was short-lived, as Groudon and Kyogre began to roar angrily at the advancing Rayquaza and in effect, her.

Mega Latias swerved to avoid the two enraged Legendaries, landing neatly on the ground as May deactivated the Mega Evolution of the Eon Pokemon. Latias returned to her original state, just as Rayquaza was engulfed in a brilliant white light, making half of the people witnessing it choke in disbelief.

 _Mega Evolution._

The Mega Evolved Rayquaza towered above them all, streaks of yellow appearing all over its new body like bright chains, hovering in the sky like an avenging god bent on punishing its wayward people. The winds howled even stronger, a cyclone of violent air that surrounded the green dragon who screeched angrily at the Sea Basin and Continent Pokemon who was swiping at the flying Rayquaza half-heartedly.

May seemed to have ordered her Latias to create a shield around them, a transparent red film that covered the whole patch of land, leaving them unaffected by the winds. However the sight of Hoenn's three legendary beings seemed to strike them all dumb, a thrill running through their spines in a mixture of awe, fear, and concern for the Champion who was in front of the line of fire. They could do nothing but watch as May seemed to communicate with Rayquaza wordlessly, her expression focused.

But then someone was shouting, and a second later everyone was scrambling to act.

"We should help!"

"It looks like she has it in the bag! We might just be in the way!" a Magma woman yelled.

"Scared? I should expect nothing less from you Magma cowards!" an Aqua minion shot back.

"Me, scared? Not in the least, Shelly!"

"You are! Besides, what could you do Courtney? Tell your Mightyena to Roar and hope for the best?"

"Why, you—"

"This is not the time for your squabbles!" Archie screamed. Beside him, Maxie was developing a tic in his jaw.

"Yeah, just duke it out once you're all in prison!" one of the Gym assistants jeered.

This led to another round of threats and screams. The Elite Four looked exasperated and Wallace face-palmed.

"Everyone, be on your guard at least." Glacia told her group firmly, ignoring the idiots behind her. Drake and Sidney, the Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains all nodded, releasing their most powerful Pokemons on standby.

Ash, Brock and Drew were solemnly staring at the Legendaries, not bothering with the others.

Drew was terrified for May. The tiny waif of a girl standing like a bamboo weed in the wind, her back to them, her fists pale white. His heart clenched at the thought of her hurt, or worse… gone forever—

No.

She wouldn't. She was strong. She was resilient. She was the Champion of Hoenn. She would return to him, all infuriating smiles and laughs, with that red blush of hers and that stammer that would appear whenever he would gift her Beautifly a rose… and Arceus help him that the girl who became Champion was so clueless about love of all things—

"Delta Stream. Rayquaza's Mega Ability."

Those words came from Steven, whose look was half-analytical, half-concerned, his eyes never leaving May. Drew noticed that he looked high-strung, as if he was forcing himself not to leap forward.

"That's where the winds are coming from then?" Wallace said.

"Yes. It cancels any other weather effects. I never knew May had Rayquaza's Mega stone. It was foolish of me to think that someone else could have sent me those information on its Mega Evolution."

And before anyone could do anything, he had stepped forward and posed himself by May's side, his eyes filled with steely determination as he unleashed a shiny, Mega-Evolved Metagross. She stiffened at his nearness but never spared him a glance, focusing on the battle.

Wallace tsked beside Drew. "That boy has it bad."

Drew's breath hitched.

* * *

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

The skies were clear.

Groudon and Kyogre had been finally subdued. Team Aqua and Magma had simultaneous heart attacks when May, seemingly reaching an understanding with Rayquaza, flung a Masterball at Kyogre and Groudon each, who let themselves be caught without any fuss. She let them out just as quickly and there was a moment when Rayquaza emitted a series of loud screeches, baring its jaws towards the two. It sounded like a reprimand and Drew wanted to laugh hysterically when the two Legendaries seemed to shuffle around in guilt.

Like he said. Trippy.

May was safe. She looked exhausted, and Drew didn't know if he should hug her tight or shake her violently but he didn't allow himself a step near her. He didn't know what he'd do, what he would reveal to all these people if he went near her. May never showed an inkling that she understood what Drew tried to express to her.

And… And if it ruined his chances of seeing her, then Drew would rather have her as a friend.

They retreated, Groudon and Kyogre. Kyogre to the depths of the seas while Groudon in its Masterball; finding it more convenient to return to the Cave of Origin via its new trainer without more destruction. The two Legendaries had been pensive, almost relaxed, and they gifted May with a blue and red sphere which made Maxie and Archie sputter.

"The Red and Blue orb." Wallace told them as May pocketed the hovering orbs. "Capable of calming or enraging Groudon and Kyogre."

"They must trust her explicitly if they would just hand over another pair of orbs." Juan said.

"Trust her? She has all the Weather Trio at her beck and call!" Drake barked out, looking excited. "We're gonna have this one as Champion for a few more years, aye."

By then Team Aqua and Magma were all but worshipping the ground she walked on; after all, she held the beasts they had dedicated their lives into searching for. Archie and Maxie looked exasperated at their minions, although that didn't stop them from finagling a deal from May to study and look at the Legendaries when they were in a more… reasonable mood.

The Gym leaders, Brains, and Elite Four were all gleeful, patting her in the back or hugging her around, mussing her hair as they laughed. Ash and Brock received a whooping hug from her, and she even pulled Drew in a hug that was hesitant, yet no less warm than the others.

The other League assistants looked harassed as they tried to urge Hoenn's leaders to arrest Team Aqua and Magma, looking scandalized when all they did was look on fondly as Archie and Maxie gave May a brief nod and a tap on her shoulder, climbed on their ship and plane respectively, and disappeared from sight.

Rayquaza was still there in all its dragon-ish glory, un-Mega Evolved, half of its body dipped in the water as it lazily splashed its tail up and down, burrowing its head in the gravel as it tried to find a more comfortable position to rest. The others looked on in fascination some distance away.

"He's mine." May said. "Rayquaza that is. I went to retrieve him today, since he dislikes being away from the Cave for a long time. I first found him in the Cave of Origin years ago when Team Aqua and Magma tried to control Groudon and Kyogre." Then she chuckled. "I lost count on how many Ultra Balls I threw at him; he kept on breaking out. Sometimes I think he let me catch him because he got bored and fell asleep since all I did was throw balls at the end."

"Amazing." Brock murmured, and it really was. That she was able to battle a Legendary and capture Rayquaza at such a young age… and looking at the way Rayquaza let May pet him gently while emitting a low croon-like sound—

"It likes her." Drew said, eyebrows raised.

"Of course." Wallace suddenly appeared beside them. "You'll find that with May, it's very difficult not to like her."

Drew nodded stiffly. Yes, he learned it the hard way.

"Although, there are people who like her more than they think they should."

Wallace words seemed to be prophetic as a second later, Steven Stone was beside May and her dragon, Rayquaza giving him a warning screech as he approached before May soothed him. They were staring at each other softly, like they had been deprived of each other's sight for years, never leaving each other's gaze.

Drew felt numb.

"Oh."

"Yes…" Wallace sighed. "Ugh, that boy is so infuriating. Leaving dear May all on her own, what if someone snatches her away—"

Drew wanted to laugh at the irony and retort that he was one of those who wanted to take her away. Who wanted to snatch the chance to be with her. He wanted to say to Wallace that he was that person he was talking about so uncertainly, who would take the girl from his friend without regret.

Yet he stayed silent. A bitter smile appeared on his face as he watched May break her gaze from the Devon heir hesitantly, even as he tried to say something.

He wanted to scream.

He wanted to laugh.

He…

He didn't know what to do.

He hadn't even tried yet. He wasn't even given a chance to explore his feelings. To find out if there was a chance that it could bloom into something wonderful, exhilarating, and if he could coax her to feel the same. Hell, he didn't even know if he should take the first step. If he should tip the scale from teasing friendship into love or whatever the hell his chest was feeling whenever she was near. But that choice was taken away before he could make up his mind.

Looking at the two of them…

Yes.

He closed his eyes and looked away.

He already lost.

* * *

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

"Why didn't you tell us?"

The question came from Ash as they dug into their lunch, bright light streaming into the windows of Ever Grande Headquarters. They tagged along earlier when May was requested to give her report of the incident and she left them to explore Ever Grande island while she went on business.

Turns out Drake was dead right. You had to swim, dive, smash rocks, cross a cave, if you wanted to challenge the Headquarters. Ash was more than enthusiastic to pass Ever Grande by himself and looked like he could barrel in that very moment until Brock hit him in the head and said that he needed HM's and all eight gym badges to even attempt to do so.

May generously handled it all instead, and Drew had to bite his tongue at the sight of a large Swampert, Gardevoir, and a sleek Swellow that she masterfully handled. Brock kept giving him glances which he refused to reciprocate.

Fine. She was a damn good trainer, what more could he say?

The island was lovely and it was unbelievable that the only building that was on it was the twenty-story high Headquarters. No houses or stores at all. There were all sorts of Pokemon in the island though and they were allowed to catch them if they could, according to the aides.

'If they could' was the key word.

The Pokemon were hellishly strong and Drew could only watch as Ash was beaten up by a particularly grouchy Mankey he had sprung up from behind while it was taking a nap.

It was peaceful, if a bit boring.

Then May returned by mid-afternoon. And it took all of Drew's willpower not to gasp at his first sight of her.

Gone was the bandana, the sneakers, and the twin pigtails. Her black gloves were not in sight, she had no yellow fanny pack, and she carried herself so differently that he had to make a double take just to make sure.

She was stunning.

Her hair was loose, flowing into a waterfall of brown ringlets down to her waist, slightly twisted into a design at the back with two curls at her ears. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright, and Drew could finally understand why the reporter from the Poke Magazine described her as such.

She was wearing a stylish white suitcoat with red accents, tight enough to accentuate her curves and her chest. The suit was split downwards, drifting at her sides and showing white shorts and a golden belt where her pokeballs were fastened. There was a red choker on her neck and she had thigh-high white boots on. Loosely tied at her side was a white cape that fluttered as she walked.

The Champion's cape.

She carried herself with grace, gliding more than walking, doing that thing with her hips that made all the blood rush up to Drew's cheeks. Even her hands looked elegant. Quick and sure, she waved them about as she emphasized her words to her companion, which turned out to be a green-haired girl who shared the same features as the Contest Master.

She greeted them warmly, seeming to devolve from the cool Champion to a sunny ball of warmth, introducing them to the pretty girl called Lisia. Drew's brows lifted in recognition and Brock was hit by the idol's Altaria with a mean Peck on the head when he tried to flirt heavily. She left soon after, waving energetically and whispering something in May's ear that made her cheeks redden and puff up in embarrassment.

May ignored their questions and dragged them into the food court, which looked more like a five-star restaurant with its very own chef (well, nothing less for the best of Hoenn) and they dug in, hungry from all the excitement earlier.

May stopped stabbing her salad and blinked at Ash, surprised to see that all three boys were staring at expectantly. She huffed and dropped her fork, sipping at water instead.

"I… Well how can you tell people that you're the Champion?" she muttered, eyes on her salad.

"Oh, I don't know. Something like, ' _Hi there, Drew. I'm May. You already know me as a rival but I'm also the Champion of Hoenn so please stop making a fool of yourself by taunting me about my strength which is obviously downplayed.'_ " Drew said in a high-pitched voice, unable to keep the resentment in his tone.

He was surprised when she burst out laughing.

Drew was about to retort in annoyance when she cut him off, "You think I'm downplaying my skills? Oh, Drew. I know next to nothing about Contests when I first started. Whatever clumsiness you saw me do before was real."

"What?" he said, dumbfounded. "But… the way you move earlier. That—"

He broke off, ears red. Brock and Ash just nodded in agreement.

"Oh, that." May grinned in slight embarrassment. "Max calls it my shy switch. I was really clumsy as a kid. Tripped over things, bumped my head over anything. Even when I won the Championship, come to think about it. I was just given etiquette lessons by Wallace and Lisia and…" she paused, her face twisting. "…and the previous Champion."

There was an awkward silence.

"I got better, but sometimes I tend to revert back to being clumsy." she continued. "Especially when I'm out of place. And believe me, I often feel out of place during contests."

"So all of that was real? The contests, the moves, the rookie way you train your Pokemon?" Drew said incredulously.

"As real as if can get." she said. "I know next to nothing about raising contest Pokemon. I was out of my element. My father's a gym leader so I was raised to know how to bring up Pokemon for battling. Lisia helped me out but I couldn't rely on her all the time. So when Ash offered to include me on his journey, I agreed. Why not? I can do part of my job by inspecting gyms as we go, meet new friends and Pokemon, and explore Contests. It sounded like a good deal to me."

Brock hummed. "And you never told us because…"

"Because one, it would sound like bragging." she said, rolling her eyes. "And two, just like Drew's reaction earlier, they'd be harping about why I'm supposed to be stuffed in Headquarters. And three, I wanted to keep a low profile. No one wants reporters around."

Drew winced, recalling the few times paparazzi hounded him for photos.

"Not many know what I look like. So it was a breath of fresh air just to go around and travel like I did before." she grimaced. "And for people to act naturally around me. Not many see me as a friend once they know me as Champion. So I'm sorry if you feel offended I kept it to myself. I just wanted to be around people who just know me as May."

A gloomy air settled around her and they face-faulted.

Drew pinched his nose. Well. Say it like that and he suppose he could understand why she never told anyone. She wasn't the smug, bragging type. She wasn't an attention-seeker either. So her reasons… he can accept them.

"Can it." he finally said. May looked up, eyes hurt. He just flashed her a grin. "If you think I'll be treating you differently just because you're Champion then you're out of luck. You'll always be ditzy, clumsy May to me."

She laughed, and the relief in her tone was clear.

"And you'll always be two steps behind my marvelous self."

She stopped laughing and sniffed, pointing a finger at him. "Ha! You'll see! Skitty and Beautifly will knock you off your smug pedestal in the next Contest, Mr. Hayden."

"All talk and no proof, blah blah." Drew drawled, a surge of happiness erupting in his chest. This he could deal with. Their usual banter, an exchange of insults.

"Are you still gonna use your usual Pokemon for Contests? You have awesome Pokemon! Like that Manectric and Claydol! Why don't you use them for Contests?" Ash said.

May blinked. "Well, I might be recognized if I use them. And they're purely trained for battling. They don't know much about Contests and they're content to stay here in Headquarters for any challenger that might come. I see them every week even if I'm away. And…" she smiled wistfully. "Isn't that the point of an adventure? Meeting new friends and Pokemon? Arceus knows I love my first Pokemon but that doesn't mean I can add more to love."

Ash looked thoughtful. "I guess you're right. I love all my Pokemon but I also want to have new ones to befriend. In every region I challenge I get to know more Pokemons who turn out to be unique for me."

Brock smiled, nodding. "So as long as you watch over and continue to care for the ones you have, then I see no harm in doing so."

Ash then laughed, holding Pikachu up by the waist. "Well, what do you say, buddy? Are you watched over and cared for?"

Pikachu nodded vigorously, babbling in Pokespeak, cheeks sparking.

"And I guess we gotta look after all our pals at Professor Oak's too. Hey, May! Is there a computer we could use here?" Ash said eagerly.

"Sure. A floor up. It's connected to every region so you can call Kanto, no problem at all. Let me take you there." May said, standing up.

They left, leaving Brock and Drew to mull things over.

"That opened up a whole new side of May, don't you think?" Brock started, polishing off his pasta.

Drew just grunted and stuffed his face with asparagus.

"Okay, let's be honest here. May's a dear friend. Like a little sister to me. You obviously have feelings for her." Brock sighed. "What we saw earlier…"

"Is something between May and pretty boy Stone." Drew interrupted. At Brock's frown he snorted. "Look, I can deal with it. It's not like I'm in so deep—" Lie. "—that I won't know when to back off if she still doesn't get it. I'm fine."

Brock gave him a doubtful look. Again, he ignored him.

Because his mind was made up. No matter what, what mattered the most was May's happiness. And her happiness was evident in the way she looked at Steven Stone earlier. So if he made her happier than Drew could ever hope to, then he'd let go.

He owed her that much.

* * *

 **A/N:** Aaand cut. Whew. Two chapters in a week. And yay, Steven's here! Only he's just dropping by, and imagine his shock when a bout of deja vu hit him when Groudon and Kyogre were going at it. Again. And May's at the thick of things. Again. Well, the last chapter from Drew's long POV (don't worry, we'll see him again) should be out by this week again, or the next. Just know I'm still here. Ta~


	4. Drew III- What to Do

**A/N: Huzzah! So last of Drew's POV, like I promised. This one is less exciting than the two and focuses more on emotions and feelings, and all that gooey shit. Anyway, I'm currently watching Uta No Prince and much to my weird fascination, I find it hilarious. People floating into outer space because of an idol band composed of pretty boys singing their hearts out. I might do a fanfic of them sometime.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of their characters. Just havin' a bit of fun with my feels.

* * *

 **Setting:** Hoenn, Ever Grande City (anime), Ever Grande Headquarters (game)  
 **Pairing:** Steven/May (Hoennchampionshipping), one-sided Drew/May (Contestshipping)  
 **Time:** Some years after ORAS  
 **Warnings:** Mesh of game and anime

 **Ages:**

 **Drew Hayden:** 15  
 **May Maple:** 15  
 **Brock Slate:** 17  
 **Ash Ketchum:** 13 (yes, I know he's immortal but I let him grow)

* * *

In which Drew makes up his mind.

* * *

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

"So. Pretty impressive shindig you've got here." Drew said, sinking into the couch.

They were currently inside May's office. Drew was pretty sure regular people like him weren't allowed inside the _Champion's_ _office_ but Ash wasn't done contacting Kanto and Brock was led away by one of the aides, who was an aspiring Pokemon breeder like him.

It helped that she was a pretty girl.

Of course, she was the one who flirted with Brock instead, so while May and Drew were disturbed that the tables were turned, they let him be. It wasn't everyday Brock scored.

May didn't want to leave Drew by himself and while that made him smirk internally, he stamped down that hopeful side and firmly berated himself for feeling so happy that she decided to escort him around. She was just being gracious. He was a guest, and she was in her element.

And so now here they were, inside a most impressive room filled with state of the art technology (all of them by Devon, he noticed bitterly), a beautifully carved mahogany desk in the center, comfortable couches, furniture, and beautiful paintings tastefully decorated here and there. He took a moment to admire the picture of May and her winning team of Pokemon that made her earn her current title, as well as the shiny platinum Champion trophy protected in a glass case.

May chuckled. "Shindig? Really, Drew?"

He shrugged, wiggling further into the cushion. The couch was damn comfortable.

"This office was decorated before I got here. A present from the Elite Four. I only added a few personal touches." she said. She sat on the high-back chair behind the desk, sighing deeply. She looked so small sitting there, and Drew can't help but think that she looked so out of place. She sighed again, placing a Masterball on her desk. "This… I don't know what to do with this."

"That's Groudon, right?" Drew said carefully. He had grown up with childhood stories about the Legendary, some of them pleasant, some of them not.

"Yes." she groaned, tugging her hair. "I need to tell Ash that I'm bailing out of our journey for a few days. I'm needed at Champion capacity. I need to go to the Cave of Origin tomorrow. Latias can help me get there, since Rayquaza's already resting. It will take some time and effort to get Groudon to settle, especially since he's a Legendary and its presence might trigger some natural occurrences within the region. The Masterball will prevent him from falling into wrong hands but…"

She trailed off and Drew hesitated. He coughed once. "Why not hand it over to someone else?"

May looked startled. "Why on earth would I do that?"

"Well you said it would take a lot of work—"

"It's my duty as Champion. _Doing a lot of work_ is supposed to be my responsibility. And that's no reason to give them up!" she said, looking upset that Drew even suggested it. "Groudon and Kyogre trusts me to keep them safe this time! I shouldn't be called a trainer if I lead them wrong. They put their faith that I can handle their power and the responsibility of looking after the region at the same time. And I'll do it even if it keeps me up all day and night!"

A silence followed that declaration and Drew, stunned, gaped at her for a moment. Then he chuckled, shaking his head and staring at the impassioned girl with warm eyes.

Really.

This girl—

No.

This woman… this _infuriatingly, troublesome_ woman was truly a gem. She didn't crave power or prestige. She worried about her new Legendaries, instead of basking over their power. She hated attention, even though it was well-deserved. She was a blend of contradictions, but pure in her intentions. She was hesitant yet sincere, clumsy yet eager, and was unsure of herself yet would readily shoulder any and all responsibility that was thrown at her so as long as everybody else was happy. She would carry the world if it was asked of her, probably with a smile still on her face.

And that, Drew mused, was the reason why he loved her.

"Then I'm sorry for hinting that you should leave them." Drew said sincerely. The revelation that he truly did care for May didn't make him feel terrified or confused. In fact, he felt calm. "I just thought that it would take a lot out of you, so I was worried for you."

May blinked rapidly. She sputtered, "You're worried? For me?"

"Of course." he said matter-of-factly. Getting up from the couch (he made a note to ask May for the manufacturer, it really was excellent), he sauntered towards her and ruffled her head gently. "Couldn't have you out of the game this early, right?"

May looked bewildered at the gentle touch but she smiled, realizing he was talking about their rivalry. "Don't bet on it."

"I'll hold on to that promise then. Take care of yourself, okay? Don't stress too much." Drew said softly, poking her cheek. "The Elite Four love you. Heck, the whole region loves you. So do us a favor and make sure you're alright all the time."

May cocked her head, smile still on her face. "Okay, what was in your lunch? You're acting weird. Less bitchy."

"I'll have you know that the beef stroganoff had nothing to do with me acting less bitchy." he said pompously. He just realized his feelings for her, that was all. And since she was his object of affections, no matter how clueless she was or how one-sided his feelings were, he had to treat her better than he did before.

Maybe this was what feelings did to you.

Made you more sensitive to other people's emotions.

He snorted inwardly. Sexist though it may be, he sounded like a woman.

"If you say so." May said, the bewilderment still in her voice but she did look pleased. Then her voice turned sickly sweet. "But I do hope this has nothing to do with me being Champion and you trying to butter me up."

"No, nothing like that." He paused and tapped his chin in faux contemplation. "Although… I may have a favor…"

"Drew!"

"Joking! I was joking!"

They were too caught up in laughing that they didn't notice the soft knock on the door, nor the click of the opening knob. It was only when they heard a cough that they swiveled their heads towards the sound.

May stood up, like a Deerling caught in headlights. "Steven! Wallace!"

Steven Stone and Wallace Mikuri stood a few feet away. The Devon heir's face was unreadable as he stared at May, while the Contest Master was alternating his look from May to Drew, then to his stiff best friend. Then he looked back at the two youngsters then back at Steven, a wicked smile forming in his mouth.

That smile meant trouble, Drew just knew it.

"May! Drew! We hope we didn't interrupt anything," Wallace waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Drew wanted to bang his head. Yep, trouble indeed.

May reddened at the obvious implication, while Steven looked stonier.

Ha. Stonier. Drew snorted, earning a curious gaze from May.

 _Later_ , he mouthed. He really liked this new camaraderie between them.

"Nothing like that, Wallace." Drew nodded genially, a polite smile on his face. "We were just talking about what May should do about Groudon." He said, gesturing towards the Masterball still lying innocently on the desk.

May looked confused but she nodded. Drew smirked. She was probably still bewildered that he was being so agreeable.

"That," Steven's voice broke him out of his musing. The Devon heir's smile was chilly. "Is classified. So is this room, actually."

Drew was about to retort but May beat him into it. "I let him in. He knows about the Legendaries already, as well as my other travelling companions—"

"—which you certainly didn't have authorization to approve." Steven countered swiftly.

May bristled, eyes hard. "I did. The Elite Four and the League cleared them. They're wearing Clearance Passes."

She nodded pointedly at the red wristband Drew was wearing and the green-haired boy was treated to the piercing gaze of the Devon heir. Green met steel blue. Steven's stare was sharp and unyielding, but Drew just smirked. It seemed like it displeased the older man further, since he wrenched his stare away from him and turned it to May instead.

"They are still uninvolved. This is completely irresponsible of you, May—"

"They are my travelling companions!" May, who was pretty calm when they first arrived, suddenly burst out. "And I trust them wholeheartedly!"

"You trust very many people."

"And you trust very little—"

Wallace looked utterly fascinated, darting his head from the arguing pair back and forth, like he was watching a particularly riveting game of ping-pong. Drew just shook his head. They were acting like an old married couple and Drew was particularly glad he managed to bail before he got in too deep. There was still a part of him that was bitter, that would care for May as his first love, but it seems that May's taste in males ran towards the older variation.

He could accept that.

So as long as pretty boy took care of her.

So far, he wasn't doing a good job.

"—and I don't think you have a say in this anymore." May sounded calm again. "You may be the former Champion—"

"—really?" Drew blinked.

Everyone stared at him.

"Sorry. The identity of the previous Champion was also a mystery so this is a surprise." Drew said politely as he could.

"He didn't want double attention, being both the Champion and the Devon heir. Much like May here." Wallace chirped. Then he took on a face of surprise that didn't fool Drew one bit. "And oh, Steven! You haven't met Drew yet, have you? He's an utter gentleman, a _dear friend_ of May's."

Drew thought that Wallace was laying it on real thick. He was absolutely ghastly towards May during their first few weeks of meeting, and Wallace— according to his niece Lisia— was usually the first to get any news from the wandering Champion. He should know how Drew was to May when she first started out.

It was clear what the Contest Master was trying to do.

He was making Steven jealous. Through Drew.

One on hand, intriguing thought it may be, he didn't appreciate being used as a leeway. On the other hand it made the older man jealous, and it was pretty clear there was tension between the former and current Champion. Hell, he could sense the hostility aimed at him coming from the pretty boy heir.

Hmmm… Choices, choices.

"Steven Stone. Devon heir, Champion of Hoenn. May's _mentor_." The last word was stressed.

Oh, it was on. He may have offered the switch but he pulled the trigger.

 _You're the ex-Champion. Ex-mentor._ Drew wanted to say, but he knew no one would appreciated his words no matter how true they were.

The man's hand was outstretched, his face one of complete politeness. But there was an undercurrent of tension that Drew didn't miss.

"Drew Hayden. Coordinator. May's _current rival_." he said as he grasped Steven's hand. He could feel it twitch when he intoned the last word and his grip became almost painful. Drew had enough manly pride to clasp his hand just as firmly.

Wallace was making gorilla noises at the back, snickering. Then he quirked his brow when Drew returned to May's side. "I meant to ask, Drew. Your surname. Are you related to the House of Hayden by any chance?"

The change of topic caught him by surprise. "Er… yes. The main family."

"Oh, wonderful! That means we're related. Your mother would be my second cousin." Wallace smiled.

He blinked. Huh. Well, you learn something every day.

May swiveled to him. "You have a peerage?"

"Why May, I didn't think you knew what a peerage is." he teased.

"Idiot." she shot back, although it was devoid of heat.

He chuckled. "First of all, my _family_ has a peerage. Not me. And that's only because my family was rich and stayed rich for centuries. Nothing noteworthy about that."

"Oh." May said. She smirked. "Well, at least now your asshole-ish nature can be explained, Mr. Snobby-Pants."

"Excuse me? I find it utterly plebian that you resort to such childish names." Drew sniffed. Then he snorted. "And besides, my attitude before was quite tame. You should attend one of the galas of the upper crust. You'll realize was the word snobby really means."

"Oh, I have. Don't think I haven't. As Champion I've attended enough of those to last me a lifetime." she perked up. "I guess this is why you accepted my secret status as Champion so easily. Well, aside from the yelling and gaping." she teased. "Not many people know you're from an ennobled house, is that right?"

"Smart." he complimented.

"I try." she said drily.

"Ahem." Wallace coughed, his eyes twinkling. "As riveting as this conversation is, I believe the Steven has some information he has to relay to May. Alone. "

Steven had been completely motionless during his banter with May but Drew could see his hands curled into fists. His face was blank, but the stormy look in his eyes made it obvious that he was seething in jealousy.

Wallace was right. He had it bad.

Geez, he should tone down his hostility. May might not sense it, but Drew—who was the target of his ire—definitely could and Wallace enjoyed poking the sleeping dragon too much. As much as he liked seeing Steven so ruffled—hey, he was stealing May from Drew— he didn't fancy inciting a feud between House Hayden and Devon Corp.

His mother would have his head.

Drew wanted to shake the guy. Or get a punch in. Why wouldn't Steven Stone make his intentions clear? May was just _there_. He was mature and old enough to—

Oh.

His eyes widened.

 _Oh._

Well.

Yes.

There was that.

Why he didn't realize this sooner, he'll never know.

That would be against moral standards, would it?

The people of Hoenn might see it as like _that_ , wouldn't they?

Although it would depend on the gap…

Drew barely felt his… well, _uncle_ steer him out of the office and into the corridor. His mind was still on his revelation and he wondered why he didn't realize it sooner.

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

"How old is he?" he said out loud. Wallace led them to a hallway devoid of people, the hum of the air conditioner pleasantly cool.

Wallace raised his brows, leaning into the wall. "So you figured it out, hm? Twenty-two. This October."

Ouch. A… seven-year difference. Yep, that would make anyone stay away.

Wait…

"He was twenty… And he fell in love with a thirteen year old girl?!" Drew said incredulously, his voice getting more and more high pitched.

"We know." Wallace huffed. "Oh, don't give me that look. Of course we know how much of a problem it was. How _Steven_ knew how much of a problem it was. He had no idea of who she really was until Norman talked about his thirteen-year old daughter, how smart she was, how mature, how utterly brilliant. Back then, Steven had no idea she was Norman's daughter. Or that she was only thirteen. Back then…" Wallace raised one brow. "You have to admit, she doesn't really look fifteen right now."

"Whatever." he grunted, forcing that thought away. Fine, yes. She looked… _developed_ for a fifteen year old, alright?

"Next we know, Steven was drowning his sorrows about being a cradle-robber." Wallace paused. "Okay, not really drowning his sorrows—guy has composure of steel—but he left the weekly meeting so fast it was like a swarm of Beedrill was nipping at his heels. Then he barricaded himself inside Headquarters and didn't come out until Groudon and Kyogre was wrestling each other and May was forced to be referee."

"That's why he left." Drew said. "For Sinnoh."

"Mmhmm… Was pretty obvious to the rest of us that the boy is enamored. Even to his father." Wallace sighed. "But he's punishing himself for falling in love with a girl so young—"

"—and so not legal—"

"—that he tried to stay away. Not that it helped much." Wallace snorted. "Just a hint of competition and he's spitting mad. Never seen him that furious till now. Which reminds me…" he glanced at his green-haired nephew. "…you have feelings for her as well, don't you?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Oh, it does. Believe me it does." Wallace said sagely. "I did tell you May is hard not to love. Why, if I was younger and she was less spoken for—"

Drew elbowed him on the ribs. Wallace chuckled.

"I did, alright?" Drew breathed out, running a hand through his hair. "But Stone's not the only one so obvious about his feelings. I've only known May for a short time so I'm not as invested, but I do know her well enough to realize that she's looking at him like—"

"Like he's the Minun to her Plusle."

Silence.

"Alright, not the perfect metaphor—"

"That was terrible."

"I still think it's fitting—"

"Never do that again."

Wallace pouted.

"So what's his grand plan?" Drew crossed his arms. "Stay away hoping that he'll get over her and hoping that she won't get a guy while he's away?"

"Pretty much." Wallace said. "It's stupid but Steven's stubborn. They both are. They won't give. He's insistent on leaving again, and she's still angry about him leaving without any explanations."

"He left without explaining?"

"He left a letter."

"Like that's any better." Drew snorted. "I'm half-tempted to take her away. He's not doing a very good job of it. Not that it's completely his fault, but couldn't he just confess, ask her to wait, and come back when she's old enough to prance on sunshine and rainbows, the end, happily ever after, blah, blah, blah?"

"Well, that would be dandy but he thinks May doesn't have any feelings for him."

A beat.

"You're kidding."

"Nope. A hundred percent sure."

"Is he blind?"

"I considered taking him to the eye doctor."

Drew face-palmed. "This is a mess."

Wallace laughed. "You don't say. I've had front row seats since the beginning and believe me, this is better than any reality show. Steven… well, the boy has issues. He's humble, to the point that he thinks people flatter him because he's the Devon heir and nothing else."

" _Is he blind_?"

"I already answered that."

" _Just_ because he's the Devon heir?" Drew waved his arms. "I'm a hundred percent straight but the guy's face—"

"—is utterly gorgeous. So is the rest of his body." Wallace winked.

"And he's not half-bad." Drew said grudgingly. "I know the Devon Corp. gives a lot to charities, especially those he started himself. And he's not stupid either… Well, he's being stupid right now."

"Like I said, the situation in complicated." Wallace said. "And was made more complicated when you came into the picture. Now, I don't play favorites but—"

"—you want what's best for her. And she adores him." Drew said. "Even if she's mad at him right now. I get it."

Wallace face was sheepish. "I'm sorry."

"Nothing you have to be sorry for." Drew waved the apology away. He sighed. Well. He never stood a chance now, did he? "What now?"

"Now, you're in the know." Wallace said. "Which makes me much more relieved. Someone has to look after her."

Drew gave him the stink eye. Just because he gave up doesn't mean he appreciated being deemed as a non-threat. "How many people know?"

"Oh, not many. The Elite Four. The Gym Leaders, except Norman. If he knew, Steven would be six feet under and he'd be in jail." Wallace hummed. "The Frontier Brains. I'm pretty sure some of the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys. That Brendan friend of May's. Professor Birch and his wife. I think her brother Max, you know him? Funny enough, Maxie and Archie knows as well. That Champion from the other region, Nate. Selena, too. And Iris. Oh, and Cynthia, lovely girl. I think Volkner too, that one time she straightened him out, so some of the Gym Leaders of the other regions. Pretty much the former Champions as well, they've been Steven's colleagues so they have an idea. And—"

"That's not ' _not many_ '." Drew said. "In fact, that's too many! Why hasn't this gotten out yet?!"

"The same reason why not many knew Steven or May was Champion." Wallace laughed at the tick on his jaw. "Those who knew were tight-lipped."

"Okay." Drew sighed. "Do you plan on doing something?"

"Right now? No." Wallace said, surprising Drew. "It's up to them right now. Not much we can do when one of them is out of the region in denial and the other goes around wandering and moping."

"What if she gets taken away?" Drew said carefully.

Wallace snorted. "Then she gets taken away. I may love Steven as a brother but if he still refuses to act after a few years, she'll find comfort in someone else. May's not _that_ clueless. Sooner or later she'll realize that he's deliberately avoiding her and she'll jump into the wrong conclusions. If he's not there to straighten her out then he doesn't deserve her."

A long silence followed that proclamation.

"And if I take her away?"

Wallace gave him a sad smile.

"You already know my answer to that."

~OOOOOOOOOOO~

The sun was finally setting.

Ash and Brock stood uncertainly at the bay of Headquarters, getting ready to leave. May was scheduled to stay for Champion duties for a few days so they were on their own for the moment. A boat was waiting for them, captained by a cheerful old man named Mr. Briney.

"And I already called Mom about Max. He wanted to wait for you at the Center so…"

"We'll fetch him, don't worry about him." Ash said, adjusting his cap. He held out his arms for Pikachu, who was cuddling May for a last hug. After a few more rubs the electric Pokemon jumped in and took his usual perch at his shoulder.

"So we'll be expecting you after a few days?" Brock said, hefting his backpack. It was filled to brim with herbs and fruits that only grew around the island, shown to him by that pretty girl named Belle he exchanged numbers with. The amount of unknown plants with fascinating properties excited Brock as a Breeder. He couldn't wait to start experimenting.

"Of course! Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Steven Stone and Wallace Mikuri stood at the side and watched the friends make their goodbyes. They smiled at Ash and Brock, although Steven's face went pinched when Drew sauntered over.

"Are you sure you want to stay Drew?" May turned to her rival.

"Are you kidding? A Legendary Pokemon case is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Wouldn't wanna miss it."

"I don't think you should see it as an opportunity." May chuckled.

"I still think this is a classified case." Steven intoned, arms crossed. He looked more like a sulky child to Drew.

"You weren't considering my involvement with Groudon and Kyogre as a classified case when I was just a new trainer." May said coolly.

"That was different—"

"Ooookay, kids. Break it up." Wallace laughed nervously. "Steven, Drew is here at my request. Haven't heard a while from my family, except for Lisia of course, so it's just Uncle-Nephew bonding time, okay?"

The ex-Champion stayed silent, looking away.

Drew smirked triumphantly.

He had made up his mind. He would never come between Steven and May. It was for May's sake that he would do so. If she chose to pursue the Devon Heir, he would gladly bow down to her wishes. If the idiotic head-in-the-sand pretty boy realized that he loved May and wooed her, then he would graciously step down. Drew loved her, and he wanted what was best for her. And torn as he was to admit it, it was obvious that Steven loved her as well.

But in the meantime, while Steven Stone was away and in denial and May was hurting, Drew would step up. He would be her pillar. Her support. He would be what Steven wouldn't and couldn't be for her, and he would see to it all the way.

No hesitance.

No second thoughts.

Unlike Steven.

And if he manages to make her fall in love with him, far more in love than she is with Steven Stone…

Well.

That would just be a great bonus then, wouldn't it?

"Right, so we're leaving!" Ash said, waving his arms. Brock gave May a hug and clapped Drew's shoulders. He returned it with a friendly handshake.

"It was nice meeting you kids! Come visit again!" Wallace cooed as the two boarded the boat.

"We will! This place was awesome!" Ash called back, a few 'Pika's' in between in his sentence.

Soon, they were just a dot in the waves. For a few minutes all they did was stare at the horizon, seawater lapping at the sand.

"So May, wanna battle?" Drew said breaking the silence.

May looked at him, stunned. "Battle. With you? Your Pokemon. Like… a real battle?"

Drew laughed. "Of course. Unlike you, my Pokemon are dual-trained, both in battling and contests."

Drew meant it as a fact, but May took his wording as a challenge. Just as he expected, May's eyes flared bright and she faced him with a smirk. "Alright then. I accept, oh most venerable Lord Hayden."

May laughed when he looked supremely annoyed. But of course he had a comeback.

"Jolly good then, oh sweet Princess of Hoenn." He said pompously, sounding very much like his father when he was inebriated with too much wine. "Shall we retire at your castle and enact your damsel-in-distress training?"

Her face flamed instantly, hands on her hips. "Oh, it is on!"

She stomped away and motioned for him to follow, eyes narrowed.

With a smirk he followed, passing by a rigid Steven Stone and a sighing Wallace. He gave the Devon Heir an innocent smile, silently daring him to come between him and May. He didn't give the older man a chance to react, brushing past them and taking a hold of May's hand.

"Say May, have you ever thought of having a boyfriend?"

She sputtered.

"Yeah, probably not. You probably scared them all away."

Her indignant reply echoed around the island.

* * *

 **A/N: And yay, I'm finally done with this! I'm glad I got this out of the way. Currently having writer's block over Magical Ouran Memories, which is a shame because wowzers, I got a lot of reviews and stuff.**

 **ATTENTION: I have a poll open on which character you want in a POV for Where the Heart Is so take a pick, okay? So I can work on it as quick as possible. And REVIEW! Reviews are love, reviews are life. :D**


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